Doctor, Doctor
by TayMor
Summary: What's the reason Itachi's heart keeps beating so fast? It wouldn't be a certain pink-haired medic... would it? Or is it really something more serious? AU, Non-massacre.
1. Doctor, Doctor

**This idea has been nagging me. It's just a one-shot so don't kill me for not updating AIA, Confession or Helpline… *cower***

* * *

**Doctor, Doctor**

* * *

Itachi woke up with a start, sweating and panting, his heart racing in his chest. He looked around his dark room in disorientation, Sharingan activated and kunai drawn. Even though his eyes told him there was no danger, his body was still at maximum attention. After a few moments, the hyper-awareness died down, and Itachi relaxed his posture, but his heart was still racing.

Had it been a dream? Another one of those nightmares that had been plaguing him recently? Itachi impatiently blew a strand of hair out of his face, only realizing then that his mid back-length hair had fallen out of its tie and was half hanging, half clinging to his sweat soaked face, shoulders and chest.

Why could he not remember what his dream was about?

Itachi sighed imperceptibly and felt around blindly on his bed for the hair tie. Securing his hair, the Uchiha heir rose from his pallet and walked across to his bedroom door. Sliding it open, he padded quietly into the dark passageway of his house and down to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water, noticing with great annoyance that his hands were shaking.

* * *

Thirteen hours later found Itachi in the Hokage's office debriefing after a mission. After getting clearance to leave, he and his ANBU team shunshined from the office, re-appearing outside. The late evening sunlight bathed them with soft pink.

"Anyone want to get sushi?" Shisui asked blandly, though they all knew he only wanted to ogle the pretty waitress at the sushi restaurant. Itachi was hungry enough to put up with Shisui's futile flirtations, so he gave a short affirmative grunt. Neji also agreed, and the metal glint in the Hyuuga's grey eyes told Itachi that there was some ulterior motive to his agreement.

The trio walked leisurely through the Konoha streets, but as they walked, Itachi began feeling that tell-tale tightness in his gut and chest. Though he tried to dismiss it, the feeling persisted, and the longer he walked, the faster his heart beat. Soon it was beating so rapidly it was making the Uchiha feel a bit fatigued. His chakra must have been flaring as well, because Neji activated his Byakugan and turned to face Itachi. His chocolate brows pulled together in concern.

"Uchiha-Buntaichou… Your chakra flow is cause for concern. Since we're close to the hospital anyway, it might be wise to get it looked into," Neji said softly. He was right, and the slight urgency in his eyes reminded Itachi why. He had to be in peak condition for the upcoming mission.

Itachi hated hospitals.

He stared balefully at the building looming in the near distance.

Shisui gave a knowing grunt. The majority of shinobi held a healthy aversion to hospitals, the male ones, that is. To them, hospitals meant failure, the possibility of failure, or something stopping them from even attempting, and therefore, failure before commencement… not to mention the hospital was crawling with women, kunoichi and civilians alike, and no man wanted to fail in front of a women. Ever. The older Uchiha turned to his cousin and pulled him to the side.

"This is a testament to how much I love you, Cuz…" he said in a low voice, sending a glance in the hospital's direction. Itachi prepared himself for one of Shisui's idiotic 'secrets'. However, for once, Shisui said something that sounded useful. "Go directly to Room 1007, and close the window. Put up an S-rank genjutsu barrier around the entire room and then press the red button above the cot. The medic that comes in will be the one some of us ANBU use. She always does the first exam at the hospital, but after that you can go to her place for medical exams or she can come to yours."

At Shisui's slightly lecherous tone, Itachi felt his upper lip curl back. Was she… like _that? _Shisui took one look at his cousin's face and shuddered.

"Don't even think about it. She'll bust your balls if you try anything…" he added with _real _fear. "It's all about the medicine for her, but at least she's quiet. She never blabs unless she can't help you, in which case she tells the Godaime… because then you'd be screwed anyway."

Itachi blinked.

He gave the hospital a contemplative glance. By the time he turned back around to look at Shisui, the older man and the Hyuuga had already disappeared.

_'__It's worth a try,' _he thought.

* * *

Sakura collapsed in her chair and sighed.

Finally.

Blessed rest.

The pinkette leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly between pursed lips. Her eyelids slid shut and she slowly rolled her shoulders to get rid of the tightness.

She could finally get a well-needed snooze.

Her pager buzzed insistently in the pocket of her scrubs.

Shit.

So much for that.

Sakura got up, with much effort, and checked her pager. Sure enough, Room 1007. Who was it this time? Shisui? Naruto? Sasuke? Genma? Kakashi? Shikamaru? If it wasn't one of them, it was another ANBU and they never set a foot out of that room. Not in this hospital. Apart from the fact that they hated the place, the hospital was overrun with fanclub members, and when wounded from battle, running from the rabid masses was more fatal than it sounded.

Sakura stretched, then began the jog to the elevators. She would just shunshin over, but her chakra stores were already depleted and more often than not, healing whoever was in that room took all the chakra she had.

Two minutes later, Sakura pulled to a stop in front where she knew the room door was… and stared at solid wall. The slight pull at the edge of her consciousness told her it was genjutsu, but it was so … _perfect. _This was definitely not Naruto. This screamed doujutsu kekkei-genkai. So either a Hyuuga or an Uchiha ANBU was behind the door. She healed more Hyuuga ANBU than Uchiha, since Uchiha tended to stick to Uchiha medics, which were readily available inside their clan compound. Besides, this level of perfection on a genjutsu she would credit more to someone like Hyuuga Jin than anyone else.

Every time she saw him, his genjutsu became more complex.

Sakura dismissed several _layers _of S-Class genjutsu before the door became visible.

"It's not fair for my patients to try to keep me on my toes like this, Jin-kun. Give a chick a break," she sighed when she entered, her complaint voided by her amused chuckle.

"Jin-kun?" a deep velvet voice echoed. Sakura looked up and gasped. In the midst of the shock, was rage.

"I'm going to kill that blasted Shisui," she muttered darkly, her lack of sleep and food greatly contributing to the general pissed-offedness that resulted from when another client was added to her list of special clients. This room and the method of alerting her was supposed to be top secret, so why did her top secret patients keep letting the cat out of the bag?

* * *

Haruno?

Haruno _Sakura _was the top secret medic?

How had he not seen this coming? Everything Shisui had said was a hint.

The first thing Itachi noticed was how stunning the kunoichi looked. Pink hair, green eyes and all. Somehow, she reminded him of candy, and unbeknownst to most, Itachi harboured an incredible sweet tooth. His eyes quickly scanned her, taking in whatever her white coat and scrubs would reveal... which sadly, at the moment, was only that she was attractively shorter than he was (her head would hit the top of his chest) and that she had a medium bust... which Itachi appreciated, because... well because that was just what he _liked..._

And he would focus on that after she fixed his palpitating heart.

"I'm going to kill that blasted Shisui," Sakura growled, the wave of killing intent flaring from her spurring Itachi into action. Pretty or not, she was still threatening his family. In less than a split second, he had her pinned against the wall, his forearm pressed to her neck, his other hand holding her wrists in an iron grip and his powerful legs holding hers apart. His Sharingan spun lazily and threateningly as he stared down the medic.

"You'll do _what _to my cousin?" he asked smoothly, daring her to repeat the threat.

"I'm going to kill him," Sakura repeated, eyes focused on a random spot on the wall behind him. "First, I'm going to seduce him, because he'd fall for it, then I'm going to poison his hot ass and watch him painfully die. _How _could he do this to me? _How _could he tell someone else about this room? That freaking insensitive _bastard," _she growled, visibly seething.

And Itachi's heart was thundering in the confines of his chest.

Still, his Sharingan picked up the dark circles under Haruno's eyes, the slight chakra burn at her wrists and the just visible sallowness to her skin.

She was exhausted.

_'__This is a testament to how much I love you Cuz.' _Shisui's words rang in his ears. Maybe Shisui had seen this reaction coming. Itachi didn't have much to do with his little brother's ex-teammate, but apparently she had a temper. And he knew she was the Godaime's apprentice, and from seeing her in the field, Itachi knew that saying she packed a pretty punch was a gross understatement.

He released her.

He watch a sigh shake her, and then she looked him over tiredly.

"Get on the bed," she muttered, pulling her stethoscope from around her neck and putting the eartips into her ears. Itachi obeyed quietly. His heart was pounding in his chest, and it was making him slightly nauseous. "Alright, where does it hurt? What's wrong?" she continued.

"I have heart palpitations," Itachi said quietly. She looked up at him and smirked.

"Is there someone you like?" she chuckled quietly. "Take your ANBU gear and shirt off," she continued, saying the words so easily he didn't even feel awkward… well, not from the command anyway.

The question was a different matter.

"No," he responded, feeling like he was lying. He stripped his protective vest and shirt off and waited for her to be impressed by his body. This was one of the reasons he hated medics. Female medics at least.

But nothing happened.

Sakura just pressed the cold chestpiece to his chest, and all her playfulness dissipated.

"Mmm, your heart is definitely beating overtime. When did you start noticing this?" she asked, pulling a clipboard from the magnetic strip at the front of the bed and rapidly jotting information down with a thin black marker.

"They started roughly two months ago… after Sasuke's birthday party," Itachi supplied. He watched Sakura's cheeks redden. He'd come back from a mission to see his brother's house full to brimming with revelers. And Sakura had been dancing on a table.

"That night after I got back from a month-long reconnaissance mission, I…" Itachi realized a little late that he didn't want to tell Sakura that he had nightmares. Sakura looked up at him, her embarrassment fading and her green eyes sharpening.

"Spill it, Uchiha," she demanded, marker held at the ready. When she saw that he was unwilling to speak, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a scroll. Opening it, Sakura released the seal and withdrew a vial on a string. She resealed the rest of medical contents and opened the vial, using the nail of her forefinger to pull out a small roll of brown paper from inside it.

Itachi watched curiously as she opened the roll of paper and saw that it was an information seal. She bit down on her thumb, hard enough to draw blood, and smeared it across the seal.

"How's this for doctor-patient confidentiality? I promise not to tell anyone what you tell me regarding your medical condition without your permission, or unless it will somehow endanger the citizens of Konoha." She held the scroll out towards him. Preferring to trust the seal, Itachi bit his thumb and smeared his blood over it. The seal flared blue from the combined chakra, and when the light faded, Sakura rolled the brown paper up, slid it back into the vial, and closed the black glass container. She then handed it to Itachi.

"It's yours," she said in response to the question in his eyes. "Now, you were saying something about coming home from your mission…" she prompted.

"I get nightmares…" Itachi said slowly, gauging her reaction with his eyes. "However, I can't seem to remember what they were about when I wake." Sakura frowned, jotted down what he said and worried her lower lip with her teeth. Itachi found his focus pinned to the movement before he dragged his attention away.

"Do the palpitations occur outside of that?"

"Yes. They seem to come on randomly," Itachi responded. After a few more questions, Sakura set aside her clipboard and put her hands on her hips.

"I'll have to conduct a physical exam and a mental exam to make sure that there isn't anything to cause major worry. If you clear those then I suppose I'll have to monitor you some more. For now, just see me before and after all your missions so I can check your progress. Also I'll give you some medication with magnesium to help relax the muscle. Only take it when the palpitations come on. I can't rule out stress considering your job and what I know of your life, so try to meditate more often and think of more calming things," Sakura said with a reassuring smile.

Itachi's heartbeat refused to slow down.

"Palpitations tend to make you feel a bit winded, so I'll also include some Vitamin B for your energy levels," she continued. "I'll make up your pills after I do your exams."

* * *

Six hours later, Sakura was just about dead on her feet. She'd completed Itachi's physical and mental exams, and while there was a buildup of chakra waste accumulating in his eyes, he was in shipshape. Way to reinforce his place as Konoha's best weapon.

If she could just get his eyes sorted out with routine chakra therapy and find a way to rid him of his nightmares (possible PTSD) and the resulting palpitations, then he would be in absolute peak physical condition.

And it was only when he was already gone that Sakura allowed herself to drool over his body. She had gotten used to hot men, since it was pretty difficult for most shinobi to escape the rock-hard abs and defined pecs, but like his brother and cousin, Itachi was a cut above the rest. Still, she had to say, Neji, Shikamaru and Naruto were giving those Uchiha a run for their money.

And now it was time for blessed sleep, Room 1007 be damned.

* * *

Itachi jerked awake in sitting position, heart racing, blood pumping, chakra flaring and his breath coming in distressed pants. Once again, the moment he tried to remember what he'd seen in his dream to get him so worked up, it faded from his mind's grasp. It was the first in a very long time that Itachi was tempted to use expletives.

He scrubbed his shaking hands over his face and struggled to calm his breathing. His heart was still racing, and Itachi clutched his chest desperately, his breath still coming in harsh gasps. It was getting worse.

It had been two months since his first visit to Sakura, and though her chakra therapy was greatly aiding with the usage of his Sharingan, Itachi had hoped that his heart condition would have been getting better. Unfortunately, it had worsened considerably. His episodes occurred more regularly and with more intensity than before. Itachi reached for the bottle of pills that he now kept within reach at the side of his pallet. The pills in the bottle rattled conspicuously due to his shaking hands. Itachi unscrewed the cap and popped one of the pills into his mouth.

He swallowed it dry and tried to calm his breathing. In a matter of minutes, his heartbeat slowed. Sighing tiredly, Itachi flopped back down on his mattress and let his eyes slide shut.

He needed to see Sakura again.

* * *

The call of a messenger hawk pulled Sakura's attention from the paperwork she was reviewing during a lull in her duties on the night shift. She let the bird in through the window.

"Ah, Kakamaru," she said with a smile when she recognized Itachi's messenger hawk. "What have you got for me?" She pulled the scroll from it's foot and unrolled it. Two words stared back at her.

**Come now.**

Sakura blinked before performing a hand seal and flash-stepping from her office to the Uchiha compound. She was let through the gates without so much as an interrogation. He must have already sent the order for her admittance.

Sakura reached his house in record speed and found the door open. She let herself in and immediately saw Itachi in his living room. He looked up at her approach.

"My condition is worsening," he said simply. Sakura sighed.

"How bad is it now?" she asked.

"Whenever I fall asleep I get the episodes," he replied, his frustration evident in his inky eyes. "And they occur more regularly while I am awake as well."

"Does the medication help?" Sakura asked.

"Hn," he grunted. Sakura took it to mean "No." She rested her hand on his chest and let probing chakra enter his body. Sure enough, his heart was thundering in his chest, and it was speeding up rather than slowing down. At this rate, he could be in danger in the field if the fatigue after the palpitations hit him at the wrong moment.

"This is intense," Sakura said under her breath. She took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll stay the night and monitor you. Take your pill and try to go back to sleep. If you like, I can put you under so you get there faster."

As she predicted, Itachi opted for the pill. He was a shinobi after all, and they weren't nearly close enough for him to trust her enough to put him to sleep.

* * *

Somehow, the notion that Sakura was spending the night at his house made it harder than normal to fall asleep. While his heart-rate had slowed back to normal, there was a nervousness lingering around in his stomach. He knew he trusted her enough, but still…

When she began to peel off some of her clothing so as to get more comfortable, Itachi grew even more uncomfortable. It was becoming obvious from her sure, definite and _uninterested _mannerisms that she was _not _in his fanclub.

And the last thought Itachi had before he fell asleep was that that pissed him off.

* * *

He was sleeping so peacefully Sakura started to nod off herself. And then she heard it. A moan. Sakura was at full attention. Not wanting to wake him up suddenly, she slowly turned up the lighting in the room, just enough for her to see his skin colour, movements and any other details she might have missed if it was too dark.

Sakura watched in fascination as his lips parted slightly, and his breathing increased in speed. A flush rose up his neck. Sakura lightly rested her fingertips against his skin, to find his dermis heated and damp. Soon enough, sweat beaded at his forehead and his moans increased, mixed with breathless gasps and desperate pants. Sakura felt her own heartbeat pick up, and her cheeks redden. The sounds the Uchiha was making sounded more than just vaguely sexual.

_'__I need to start avoiding the lunch hour chatter with the other medics,' _Sakura told herself. _'I never used to be this perverted. He's having a nightmare, for Kami's sake!' _

"Sa… Hnnn…. Sa…" he muttered breathlessly in his sleep. Sakura watched as his hand came up to tug impatiently at the neck of his shirt. "_O...Onegai…" _he panted.

Was he calling for Sasuke? Was his dream about Sasuke leaving?

"_Ikenaide," _he murmured. Who was he speaking to when he said 'Don't go' like that? Sakura put her hand to his chest, to feel his heart racing like it did in the medical exams, only faster. She leaned over him, noting his feverish skin, sweat, and his eyes which were moving side to side under his eyelids.

And then he was awake and surging up towards her.

* * *

For the first time, Itachi was confused, when he woke up, as to whether or not he was still dreaming.

For the first time, Itachi remembered very clearly what was plaguing him, and as he surged up towards her, Itachi stared his illness in her shocked, concerned green eyes.

It had all been about Sakura... and he wondered if he'd known it... deep down.

And even as he came to a stop, the realization stunning him beyond anything he'd ever encountered, his hair loosed from its tie, his breathing erratic and his heart beating overtime, there was one though resounding in his head.

_'__Kami, I want to kiss her.'_

* * *

**Yeeeaahhh…. so somehow I doubt this will stay a one-shot. It can, but will you guys allow me to? **

**Please review (kindly, please, guys. Kindly)!**

**I love you all! Hopping over to continue what's shaping up to be another 8k word chapter of AIA…. PEACE!**


	2. The Condition of the Condition

**So yeah… It wasn't a one-shot… Think should make it a 2 or 3 shot… ? I've got way too many projects going on to do much more than that don't you think?**

* * *

**Part 2: Condition of the Condition**

* * *

Hyuuga Jin leaned against the wall of the hospital room, ignoring what civilians would consider 'excruciating' pain. A piece of his leg _was _hanging open, so he absently supposed they would have ample excuse to be on the verge of passing out. Did he also mention that his shin was shattered.

As a Hyuuga, Jin was beyond embarrassed at the damage, since it could very well have been avoided. His doujutsu was supposed to make the success rate of the attack that had caught him null and void. If only he hadn't been caught very slightly off guard by pink.

Sakura.

It had been the blossom, floating harmlessly from the branch the wind had blown it off of, that made him think of the woman.

However, as a red-blooded, heterosexual, _healthy _male, Jin was grinning inside. Any excuse to use Room 1007, provided he wasn't so injured that he could not get to watch the pretty doctor work, was an excuse he would take. So his injured leg was accepted with ease. His teammates had been skeptical of his lack of a sour mood after being caught with such a basic ninjutsu, but Jin had ignored them.

He was going to really ask her out one of these days.

It wasn't as if he repulsed her… Far from, because he knew for a fact that she was attracted… at least he hoped so.

The way her fingers brushed his skin when she healed him, or the way she leaned in closer, or how she smiled warmly when she saw him… that couldn't possibly be only their doctor-patient relationship, could it? Jin quelled the uncharacteristic nervousness in his chest by giving it a firm thump with his fist.

He pushed the red button on the wall.

He hoped she would hurry. He _really _didn't want to lose so much blood that he would be prevented from thinking clearly when she arrived.

* * *

For the first time, Itachi remembered very clearly what was plaguing him, and as he surged up towards her, Itachi stared his illness in her shocked, concerned green eyes.

It had all been about Sakura.

And even as he came to a stop, the realization stunning him beyond anything he'd ever encountered, his hair loosed from its tie, his breathing erratic and his heart beating overtime, there was one though resounding in his head.

'_Kami, I want to kiss her.'_

Her hands were pressed against his chest, her eyes wide, and her lips parted. Their eyes met and held, and Itachi found himself in a really strange position.

On one hand, he'd ignored some very important details pertaining to his condition, because he'd simply not wanted to consider that they might be pertinent. On the other hand, he couldn't decide if he wanted to be anywhere but here, or if he wanted to be nowhere else but here.

Seeing Sakura dance on a table at Sasuke's party was not something he had enjoyed seeing, that much was true, but Itachi had failed to consider _why_ he never wanted to see her do such a thing again. He was decidedly displeased with the thought of men looking on and seeing her. Lusting after her. Wanting her.

Hating the hospital was something that had always been a part of Itachi, however, ever since that mission he'd had a much more vehement aversion to the place. Because as an Uchiha, and the heir at that, the chance that the best medic available would be set on his case was almost one hundred percent... And the best available medic would be either Sakura or Tsunade. So that meant he'd have a fifty percent chance of being operated on by Sakura.

If he had not found himself lying in his room that night, staring blankly at the ceiling as his mind recounted - _ad nauseam - _the image of her gyrating hips, toned arms and slightly parted lips that his Sharingan had _inadvertently _captured_, _then Itachi might not have so great an issue. However, the Uchiha heir could not abide by the thought that his failures (any injury whatsoever) in battle would be revealed to the object of his… momentary fixation.

Well… it had been more than momentary if he were to be honest… because Itachi had found himself staring at his little brother and wondering if Sasuke had seen anything of the like from his teammate before… _How much _had _Sasuke seen? _

And his heart would start beating overtime as somewhere in his subconscious mind he imagined…

"Are you alright?" Sakura was asking, her hand sliding from his chest to his neck. She was no longer focusing on his eyes, her eyes instead canvassing his heaving chest and the pulse beating in his throat.

His imagination had always been his greatest strength, and also his greatest weakness.

"You have your Sharingan on," Sakura continued. "Do you remember anything from your dream? What was happening?" Her questions could be answered, but Itachi found himself beyond reluctant. No, he very plainly was not the least bit inclined to truthfully answer her. How could he tell her that the reason his Sharingan was on was because…

Heat burned the base of his neck.

"Ach," Sakura muttered, her lower lip pulling in between her teeth. "You're getting flushed, and your body is getting warmer, but I can't seem to determine anything being wrong with you physically," she said, her brows pulling together.

Did she really have to do that? Itachi found himself wanting to bite that lower lip of hers too. Trying to catch and control his thoughts, Itachi looked away sharply. So… apparently there was nothing wrong with him apart from an unhealthy attraction to his little brother's ex-teammate.

He doubted it could stay at attraction. For an Uchiha, love was a curse, and this blasted human failing had snuck up on him while he'd fancied himself impervious. Ever since he'd found out about the family curse, and seen it materialize with his very own eyes, Itachi had vowed not to be wasted in such a way. The unending pit of depression after the death of a dearly loved one was not attractive in any way shape or form for Itachi, and so he'd closed himself off. Completely.

But as it had before, his body failed his mind. And as they said, one rotten apple in a basket can ruin the whole lot. And that one little failing had eating its way into his mind. Quietly like the shinobi he was.

He was just a man.

He was just a man that had been alone for far too long, since he did not want to chance developing feelings for anyone through any contact outside of business. In fact, he saw pretty much every woman as someone with a probability of being a black pit of depression, especially if they were weak.

Wait.

Was that why he was attracted to Sakura?

When had this even started?

She used to be an absolute ninny in the old days. A source of amusement and veiled disgust for him, even. But then, after Sasuke's near complete defection after a harsh episode with the Uchiha elders, Sakura had completely changed. Well, over time, in any case. Then, when Sasuke had advanced physically beyond her and beyond Naruto mentally, and had gone on to become an ANBU before them, Sakura changed even further.

Then Jiraiya, the Sannin, had come to Konoha and took Naruto away for training after the death of the Sandaime. Sakura had then been taken under the wing of the Godaime. Itachi had not considered the damage to himself when Sakura started training with Shisui from time to time. Which meant he had a chance to see her becoming stronger. The change hadn't been too drastic. She wasn't exactly a prodigy by his standards, after all.

He hadn't had much to do with her, because he hadn't even noticed that her very gradual changes had been changing him too. And so he'd never even actively considered, consciously that is, that he might be attracted to Sakura.

Her dancing on the table had only been that very last straw that tipped him over the edge; the tip of the iceberg as it were.

She wasn't as flat-chested and silly as she used to be. She wasn't really flat-chested at all anymore. She certainly wasn't silly. And she most definitely wasn't weak.

Could it be that every time he thought of anything affiliated with her, even in the slightest, his body would react, but the strength of his conscious mind would block any link to her and keep him completely in the dark? Itachi didn't put it past himself.

His body was, after all, in peak, prime condition, and _everything _functioned perfectly. So it stood to reason that as a red-blooded man, he would react like one. His mind, on the other hand, was admittedly above average, so it was no surprise that it would block certain thoughts completely. That feature had saved him countless times in the past, so it might just have been attempting to save him once more from-

"Uchiha!" Sakura suddenly barked, yanking Itachi's attention firmly back to the present. He blinked at her.

"Hn," he grunted. She was so… easy with him. Did he not make her the slightest bit unsettled? He didn't want to be comfortable for her.

Not at all.

* * *

"Your heartbeat is back to normal." Sakura said the words, conscious that Itachi was still not giving her his full attention. Her tone was not as relieved as it should have been, because Sakura _hated _being ignored more than anything, and she'd gotten pretty used to her words being heeded, and rightfully so. She'd earned that much.

Just because he was a _prodigy _didn't give him any right to-

'**Slow down, Pinky,' **her Inner interjected.

Right.

He'd just woken up from a terrible nightmare. Sakura had seen the effects of those enough in her field of work.

'_He still has his Sharingan on,' _she noted with more sympathy than before. Sakura heaved a small sigh.

"The only medical condition that's standing out for me based on your symptoms is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Since you are having troubles remembering the dreams I'll do a few more tests later in the week to figure out what triggers the heart palpitations," she continued, rising to standing position.

She looked down at the flashing pager she had in her left hand. Room 1007.

"For the time being, I'll have to go back to the hospital. I've received an urgent page." Funny how he snapped to attention when she said she was leaving. Sakura turned and picked up the coat and leg warmers she'd taken off earlier.

"What… am I supposed to do?" he asked, his voice sounding like dark chocolate. Sakura hated that one of her absolute eargasm inducing sounds was the sound of a man's deep voice when he just woke up. She paused, bending over still as she prepared to put the left leg warmer on.

She clenched her teeth against her inner fangirl. Instead, she straightened and placed her right hand on her hip and stared down at Itachi.

"Go back to sleep. I'll alter the medication and put some herbs that calm the mind in. I'm also going to give you a herbal tea to help you to be calm enough to meditate easier. I'd give you one of the pills but…" she paused, her gaze raking over his figure with grudging appreciation. Instead of continuing, she put the leg warmers on and shrugged on her coat.

"But?" he in that sinful voice after watching her expectantly, one dark eyebrow rising. Sakura turned back to face him and offered a quick, respectful grin.

"But your body is in such exemplar condition I can't bear to sully it with pharmaceuticals," she admitted. Before he could responded, Sakura performed the seal for a Shunshin no Jutsu and reappeared at the Konoha hospital.

* * *

Jin looked up when Sakura entered the room.

"Konbanwa," he said on a gasp. The pain had caught up with him. "Took you long enough…" he grumbled. She stalked purposefully towards him and helped him to the cot.

"Sorry about that, Jin-kun," she said sweetly, giving him an apologetic smile that was illuminated only by the moonlight coming into the room. "Someone added a patient to the list," she said, her annoyance evident in her tone. Jin grunted in sympathy.

"How many do you have now?" he asked as she helped him lie down.

"Tch. Don't even ask," she groused. She left his side before he had a chance to stop her, and turned on the room light. So much for… whatever he'd been planning. She didn't freak out, laugh, or tease him for his injury - something that Jin really admired in her, because it was a tendency with people to do stuff like that when they became close enough to a person.

"Am I allowed to ask how you happened to get this injury on an A-rank mission, Jin?" she asked. Jin felt his heart clench. She'd said his name without the honorific.

"You can ask, but there I won't promise to answer," he responded smoothly, flinching as she removed the cloth of his pants from the gaping wound on his leg.

"Too embarrassing?" she asked, her voice level. She was actually not teasing him at all.

"ANBU," he responded just as evenly. She accepted his answer without complaint, and proceeded to tend to his leg. They talked as she worked, most of her contributions, he knew, were to keep him awake.

Roughly half hour later, all that was left of his wound was a pink scar that Sakura promised would fade as soon as the irritated cells healed. He'd gotten his leg ripped apart and his bone shattered for half hour of her time?

The thought didn't sit well with Jin at all.

He stood, testing his leg and found that it was only a little sore at the moment. Sakura eyed her handiwork with satisfaction and grinned at him.

"I'm going off to get some well-needed sleep now, Jin-kun. Make sure you do the same, please, and don't irritate that scar else it will stay there as a testament to your-"

The rest of her words were cut off when Jin's lips crashed against hers.

She tasted like… sweet coffee… and cinnamon. Nice. She stood still with shock for a few seconds before her hand fluttered to his neck and stayed there. Jin pulled her against him, liking the hardness of her kunoichi body. Just because she was the head medic at the Konoha Hospital didn't mean Sakura had gotten _soft. _At least not overly so like those civilian girls. She felt firm and powerful, and her skin had enough give to make her feel like a woman.

Which made him feel like a man.

He wasn't soft _anywhere. _

Her lips parted further for him, and when her fingers sunk into his hair, Jin knew that yes, Sakura was definitely attracted. He pulled away, breathing harshly for a moment to connect his pale grey gaze with her dazzling green one.

"Go out with me," he demanded, giving her his best rakish grin. She smirked back at him.

"Ask the citizens of Konoha. My time is not my own," she said cheekily, stepping away. He pulled her back into his arms.

"That's only your on-call time. Give me some of the rest of it, and I'll return the favor," he responded. "We're both shinobi. We know how it is… just… don't make me share." She leaned her head back, but didn't pull away, and gave him an appraising look.

"One kiss and you want to go out? Jin…" she murmured, chuckling a little uneasily. Jin shifted.

"I've liked you a long time… What? You don't want to?" he asked, leaning his face closer to hers. "Even if you say you don't, I won't believe you," he went on, "because you're staring at my lips right now." Sakura gave a short chuckle and looked away.

Cute.

"Alright fine. I like you well enough I suppose…" she murmured grudgingly. Jin raised one brow.

"Accept me better than that. _I know you_, Sakura," he said, putting emphasis on the words so she would know that… he knew. He knew she was scared of fangirling again like in the old days when Sasuke was all she saw. And she'd been ridiculed for it. However, Jin knew that she was past that, and even if she wasn't, he'd never reject her like Sasuke did. He'd been the one to ask her out, hadn't he? She peered at him searchingly for a moment, before she ducked her head.

"Okay… I'll go out with you," she said. Who knew the mighty fist of Konoha could be this sweet and cute? Jin waited until she looked up at him again before he pressed his lips to hers again.

And he hoped the Uchiha at the window fully noted that Sakura was no longer up for grabs.

* * *

**Nerp… this isn't feeling like a 2 or 3 shot either. I'm doomed. **

**Anyway, please review. **


	3. Weigh the Way

**AN: I'm back! Before you guys say anything about Sakura's stats, I allowed for her to be a bit more powerful than her 19 year old self, since she's about 22 in this fic.**

* * *

**Part 3: Weigh the Way**

* * *

Sakura dropped the cardboard box containing her personal items onto the desk and heaved a sigh. Frankly, she had expected herself to put up more of a fight when Lady Tsunade had pulled her from the Konoha General Hospital and placed her on active ANBU duty, but she'd found herself giving in rather easily.

If she was honest, she was growing tired of the routine. She was tired of the permanent chakra drain without the flow of adrenaline attached to it. The hospital did that; drain her completely while managing to bore her at the same time. So here she was, at the ANBU headquarters, moving into her office.

Well, her temporary office.

It was that time of year, and the ANBU main budget had finally been upgraded, so the majority of the building was under renovations, and new offices were being built on the west wing. Due to that, most of the ANBU that qualified for offices were sharing for the duration of the building repairs.

Because of her rank, Sakura had been placed in the office of one of the top ANBU captains, and this she knew because of the office itself. Tsunade-sama had assured her that she would be placed on the same team as the captain in question to avoid any ANBU confidentiality breaches. The plan suited Sakura fine, since, according to Tsunade-sama, the captain had not minded either. Sakura still had no idea whose team she was to be placed on, but even though Tsunade-sama hadn't briefed her yet the pinkette suspected that the upcoming missions were of great enough importance that they warranted such a major shift in her duties.

She'd just begun to unpack the contents of the box when the door opened and Uchiha Itachi stepped in. He paused in the doorway for about two seconds before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. Sakura gave him a respectful bow and a smile.

"I had no idea we would be on the same team," she said after greeting him. "But this works out great, since I can monitor the chakra buildup in your eyes and continue to watch your heart rate," she continued. He gave her a long unreadable look before walking past her to his own desk.

"Hn," was all he responded. The office fell to silence after that, with Sakura wondering why the atmosphere felt so stifling, and she was just about to excuse herself when Uchiha-san rose from behind his desk and strode from the office.

* * *

Itachi stood before the Hokage, who looked up at him cheerfully while trying unsuccessfully to hide the shot of sake she'd been about to drink when he'd stepped into her office.

"Ah, Uchiha-san. I was just about to send for you. Have you met your new team yet?"

"Haruno Sakura…" Itachi began, just about to attempt to convince Tsunade-sama that Sakura would just _not _be a good fit. If she was truly the cause of his condition, then having her on the same team as him would only serve to exacerbate the problem.

"Yes, such a good fit if I do say so myself. I'd been thinking about a super-powered, all-rounder combat team. Call it our trump card, if you will. Just about the most capable team we would be able to output. There has been some debate as to whether or not to make it a five-cell unit or to maintain the usual number of four… but I suppose we will have to do a test run to find out. I would have loved to put Naruto on the team, but his fighting style is too different. He would end up being a liability to your modus operandi… so I've given him another team to work with." Tsunade leaned back in her chair with a satisfied expression on her face.

"But Haruno Sakura…" Itachi began again. The possibility of him managing rationally on the same team as her when his regard for her had increased so much while he was unaware was slim.

"...is the best medic there is aside from myself. Add her to a group containing Uchiha, Hyuuga and possibly Nara and you have such immense power on all corners. I've even considered adding Lee to that mix, since a non-chakra user might be good in an emergency, but I thought against it, since most of the missions you will go on will definitely require chakra usage. Instead, I've decided to replace Inuzuka Hana from your original team with a Hyuuga," Tsunade said, sliding a folder in Itachi's direction with a self-satisfied smirk. "You're going to love this," she chuckled when he took the folder.

Itachi flipped it open to see that the contents were files on the abilities of those in his team.

The first was Hyuuga Jin. A member of the Hyuuga Main House, Jin was 23 years old, stood at six feet and four inches, had blood type O and had passed his last physical and mental examinations with flying colours. He was bordering on genius level with an IQ of 198, and his databook stats were no joke either; his shinobi skill rank was S, and his combat proficiency were impressive, with 4.5 for Ninjutsu, 5 for Taijutsu, and 4.5 for Genjutsu. Hyuuga Jin's Intelligence was ranked at 4.5, strength at 4.5, speed at 5, stamina at 4, and Seals at 5. His Byakugan was last reported to have a radius of seven kilometres, which was impressive even by Hyuuga standards. Itachi skimmed over the rest of the notes before skipping to the next file.

Nara Shikamaru. He'd already seen the most recent update on Shikamaru, so he flipped to the next file.

It was his own file. He skipped it.

Haruno Sakura. His heart gave an uncomfortable thud in his chest. Currently 22 years old, the S-class med-nin was known for having a level of chakra control that had surpassed her sensei. She stood at five feet four inches, had blood type O, and had also passed her physical and mental examinations. While she didn't have the IQ power or Jin, Shikamaru or himself, her stamina was the highest at 4. Her Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu proficiency were all ranked at 4, as well as her speed and seals. Her strength, ranked at 5, must have been due to the intensive training of the Godaime. All in all, Sakura was probably the most well rounded ninja on the team. It was going to be difficult to convince Tsunade-sama to replace her when his mind was already reeling with the possibilities.

If the team could work well together… there was no end to the missions they could do. It could be _fun. _Aside from the anticipation of being around Sakura for longer periods of time, Itachi could feel himself becoming more… _excited _at the prospect of this team.

"I will summon them for sparring," he said, bowing before doing the seal for a shunshin and leaving Tsunade's office.

* * *

Uchiha-san was in much better spirits when Sakura saw him next at the sparring field. She'd been summoned by the Konoha internal messenger hawks, and the note had indicated that she was to be meeting her new ANBU unit. Sakura knew almost every shinobi due to her post at the Konoha hospital, and she couldn't wait to see who the team was going to consist of.

She already knew that with herself and Uchiha-Itachi, it was most likely going to be a rather intense team.

"The others are on their way," Uchiha-san said quietly when Sakura flickered onto the field. She nodded quietly, beginning to warm up in advance. A few minutes later, Sakura saw the familiar pineapple hairstyle come into view. Shikamaru. She grinned. Oh, this was going to be fun. There was only one member left to come now, and if things kept up they way they were going…

"Fancy seeing you here," a low voice said over her shoulder.

A low _familiar _voice.

Sakura spun round to see mischievous pale grey eyes.

"Jin?" she gasped. "You're…?"

"On the same unit. I just got the summons," Jin replied with a smirk. The Hyuuga straightened back to full height, forcing Sakura to look upwards to meet his gaze. She swallowed, inwardly thanking Kami that they would have to wear ANBU masks most of the time. Between Jin and Uchiha-san, there would be a high chance of her becoming distracted during missions.

Jin really was impressive, though. He was at least a foot taller than she was, which she found ridiculously sexy in a man. His hair was as luxurious as his cousin Neji's, however it was a good five inches shorter, and cropped close to his skull on the left side, showcasing the best angles of his masculine, but somehow delicate features. He generally wore it in a high ponytail, but today it was loose, brushing his shoulders and collarbones. Sakura's gaze dropped to his throat and chest, which was broad and...

"Right," Sakura said, suddenly conscious that Uchiha-san and Shikamaru were watching them. "So… sparring?" she muttered, grinning. "I've had a hand healing all of you before. Let's see how much damage I can inflict upon you. What are the rules, Buntaichou-san?"

"Hn…" Uchiha-san glanced at each of them before continuing. "One on one. Subdue your sparring partner. No holds barred, take your opponent alive. Nara versus Hyuuga, and Haruno versus myself."

Sakura backpedalled mentally. Her Buntaichou was going to take her on? If he thought she was going down easily, he obviously thought wrong.

"I approve," she said boldly, cracking her knuckles.

* * *

Three hours later, Jin was still sparring with Shikamaru, and although the Nara was a genius, he was still in a deadlock with Jin. Quite frankly, based on the rumors, Jin had expected the spars to be quick, considering the rules, and he'd actually thought the wins would be in favor of Nara and Uchiha. However, Sakura seemed to be holding up well, and Shikamaru hadn't quite captured him as yet.

Jin tried not to think of Sakura taking on the Sharingan, but the pinkette was dwelling on his thoughts.

"Aaaii, mendokusai ne…" Shikamaru was groaning from where he stood several feet away.

"Hai…" Jin muttered in response. This _was _a bit of a drag. Pitting him against Shikamaru had become more of a battle of brains, when really Jin considered offensive sparring much more fun. He'd been hoping to go up against the sexy cherry blossom. Even letting her land a couple bone-breaking hits on him would have been acceptable since her pretty hands would have to be all over him later to heal him back up. Sliding a cursory glance in the direction of where Sakura and Uchiha-san were currently working up quite a sweat in a furious taijutsu battle.

He wanted to get this over with already.

Genjutsu would have to do then. Way less fun than taijutsu or even ninjutsu, but he'd already been laying the foundation for the past three hours, so he'd might as well finish up with it. He'd slowly lain thin layers of auditory genjutsu that gradually heightened the volume of surrounding sounds such as the wind, animals, etc, and lowered the volume of his own movements. Then, he'd interlaced the auditory genjutsu with ocular genjutsu, such as cloud cover that wasn't really there, prompting the Nara to use his Shadow technique when there was no shadow to stem it from, and several layers of ocular and auditory genjutsu that worked together to make things seem a little slower to the Nara than they actually were. Jin knew the Nara adapted to battlefields ridiculously quickly, and hoped to use this very thing against him; the faster Shikamaru got used to everything being a little slower than normal, the better it was for Jin. Tactile genjutsu followed that, dulling the Nara's senses a bit, but not enough that it was too noticeable. Just for added measure, he'd lain several fine layers of ocular genjutsu over the surface of the training ground so that the physical changes to their sparring field weren't as visually apparent.

"What say you we finish this up quickly?" Jin called to Shikamaru. "I'm hungry."

"Hai…" the Nara responded.

Jin performed a sealless shunshin, and flickered over to Shikamaru. He'd already raised his elbow to catch the Nara in the back of the head, when his opponent chuckled and muttered 'Kai', dissipating the gossamer-thin genjutsu like spider-web.

Jin realized then that his method had been flawed, because he'd gotten used to Shikamaru moving slower than normal, and his elbow was met with air when the Nara flickered out of the way.

Then he couldn't move.

"Checkmate," Shikamaru chuckled from behind him.

"How long did you know?" Jin asked with a resigned grin.

"The clouds, you idiot," the Nara replied. "You didn't form them right for the type of wind today."

"The clouds? Those were from two hours ago!"

"Aa… but I had to wait for you to make your move before breaking out of the genjutsu. Baka. You should have known better than to try using clouds against me."

"Lesson learned," Jin responded with a smile. "Now can you release me so we can watch Sakura?"

* * *

She was sweaty and battered and bruised and he looked… damn him, but he looked _fine. _In every sense of the word! Still, she'd landed a few hits on him, so that was good… but it wasn't good enough.

"As expected, your chakra control is impressive, Haruno-san," he was saying, the compliment somehow serving to both piss her off and make her feel good at the same time.

"As expected, everything about you is impressive," Sakura shot back, loving the way his eye twitched. It was funny how the way something was said could make even a genuine compliment sound… well… mean.

She'd been trying to feel him out, but he was as impassive as they got, and although Sakura was well aware that she was way out of her league, she refused to back down even one iota. But refusing to back down was hardly getting her anywhere, since everything she did he met with cool precision and his blasted sharingan followed and seemingly predicted her every move.

_As far below the belt as it seems, Sakura, kunoichi have to do what they have to do._

Genjutsu it would be, then.

As dumb as it would be pitting a genjutsu against an Uchiha, Sakura wasn't above trying. Kami knew she could hardly get close to the bastard anyway. She ran for the trees.

Uchiha Itachi might be her captain.

Uchiha Itachi might be a genius.

Uchiha Itachi might be Konoha's most powerful weapon.

But Uchiha Itachi was still a man.

A man who had actually mentioned watching her dance.

She would have to see how Uchiha Itachi did in the face of feminine charms.

* * *

**I had to end this chapter here just so I could get something out to you guys. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've been trying to update some of my stories, but due to some health and RL issues, writing hasn't been so easy for me lately! Thanks for your patience thus far!**

**For an idea of how Jin's hair looks, please see Tokyo Ghoul's Uta. Instead of the side bit being grey, though, it's just cropped very short. (*_*)**

**Review~~~~**


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